"When I have money, I buy books. If any is left, I buy food and clothes." -- Erasmus

Thursday, February 08, 2007

10 Things I Like

Heather at A High and Hidden Place has invited me to play along with a new meme. So, here are 10 things I like that begin with the letter M (the letter Heather gave me). If you want to play too, just leave a comment and I'll give you a letter.

1. Mom! I have the best mom in the world. It is from her that I acquired my love of books and reading.

2. Mochas. I loveStarbucks'Mochas. My preference is a grande -- caffeine, whole milk and whipped cream. My boss (a decaf, nonfat grande capuccino) has been trying to persuade me to go nonfat, no whip to reduce the calories. But it's just not the same.

3. Museums. I worked in a history museum for 7 years and it was probably the best job I've ever had (and I'm a Gen Xer so I've had a lot of different jobs). I learned a lot, both about history and about myself. I met people who became the closest friends I've ever had. Visiting museums is always on my wish list.

4. Mafia. As I confessed recently, I have this weird attraction to the Mafia. It's fascinating to me -- the culture, the history.

5. Movies. Netflix is one of the best things ever invented. I can be unbelievably lazy about some things, like going to the video store. Netflix saved me. I can watch all the movies I want and never have to leave the house. If I had to pick one favorite movie, I'd choose Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

6. Meetings. I know, I'm weird. Most people hate meetings. But I had to run a lot of meetings when I was a project manager. After awhile, I got really good at it. Pre-meetings with certain people to figure out all the ways the meeting could grow wrong (therefore being prepared), getting input on agendas, keeping conversations on track, compiling notes and getting them out quickly. Despite their bad reputation, meetings can be incredibly productive if you know what you're doing.

7. Makeup. I can be very girly sometimes. And I tend to be somewhat of a sucker. When some new product comes out raving about how good it will make you look, I just want to hop on over to Sephora and buy it -- even while the rational part of my brain is telling me it's all marketing hype. This is the one area of my spending that I really have to watch closely or I'll go completely overboard.